According to sex therapist Wendy Maltz sexual expression can be both
positive and negative depending on the sexual interaction that is
involved. There are three levels of positive interaction and these
include role fulfillment, making love, and authentic sexual intimacy.
There are also three levels of negative interaction and these include
impersonal interaction, abusive interaction, and violent interaction.

This
model of sexual interaction applies to everyone regardless of their
sexual orientation. She calls it the Maltz Hierarchy of sexual
interaction which was developed to help people channel their sexual
energy towards positive interaction that involve sexually fulfilling
each other in a positive way through love making and developing intimate
relationship by learning how to express emotion during sexual
interaction.

The Maltz Hierarchy of positive sexual expression is based
on consent, equality, respect, trust and safety rather than dishonesty,
disregard for physical safety, domination, and shame that often leads
to negative interactions.

Three Levels of Positive Interaction

Level
1 is positive role fulfillment which involved mutual respect for each
other in sexual relationships. In this role both partners provide
safety, pregnancy and commitment for each other in heterosexual
relationship. There may be less communication between partners limiting
their ability to channel sexual energy that may provide more
opportunities for both partners to learn and explore different roles
during sexual interaction rather than engaging in similar roles which
can become routine, boring, and predictable. Lack of communication
also reduces their ability to enhance sexual pleasure and deep emotional
connection during sexual interaction.

Level 2 involves making
love and providing deep emotional connection by learning how to
communicate and express emotion for each other during sexual
interaction. By learning how to communicate with each other, both
partners learned how to channel sexual energy that allowed them to
explore different roles during sexual activity rather than engaging in
similar boring role only for the purpose of releasing sexual drive.

When both partners explored different roles they can learn how to
enhance each other sexual pleasure with different techniques and
stimulation during sexual activity. When there is mutual respect and
genuine desire to please each other and by discovering intimate details
about your partners can enhance your sexual relationship at deep level
that involve genuine love and care for each other.

Level 3 is
authentic sexual intimacy where both partners developed deep emotional
connection for each other during sensual lovemaking based on open
communication with desire to provide love, sensual pleasure, respect,
safety, and commitment. Both partners learned how to channel sexual
energy that allowed them to share feeling of ecstasy and love for each
other with the positive feeling of knowing they are safe and secure in
the relationship. At this level the deep emotional connection involved
in sensual love making is more important than physical sex act and
orgasm.

Three Levels of Negative Interaction

Level 1
is impersonal interaction that involved lack of respect and
responsibility for each other and disregarding negative consequences
such as having unprotected sex or having sex under the influence of
alcohol and drugs could result in unwanted pregnancy and exposure to
sexually transmitted diseases. There is no personal interaction
involved between partner during sexual activity and disregard for
negative consequences may also lead to shame and regret.

Level 2
is abusive interaction that involved dominating and manipulating
another person with coercive communication and such practices involved
nonviolent acquaintance rape and incest. Abusive interaction involved
controlling and humiliating another person which can cause victims to
experience feelings of fear and shame because such interaction can be
threatening and degrading to individual self-esteem.

Level 3 is
violent interaction that involved raping another individual for the
purpose of expressing hostility and rage towards the victim. This is
the lowest level of negative interaction where sexual energy is channel
towards hurting another individual for the purpose of achieving sexual
pleasure and sexual gratification.

Negative sexual expression
and negative sexual interaction can damage individual self-image and
sexual abuse victims are more likely to have negative expectation from
future sexual encounter. Sexual expression and sexual interaction needs
to be experience in one of the positive level if you want to achieve a
good and healthy relationship.